HP TouchPad Tablet, Rumored to Be on Sale Today (8/25)

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HP TouchPad Tablet Rumored to Be on Sale Today (8/25)

The HP TouchPad has been an internet sensation lately with mention on national news shows and websites due to a drastic price cut. They have since sold out everywhere with limited stock appearing and then disappearing at various marketplaces. If you missed out on the recent TouchPad feeding frenzy, do not fret! HP has not specified any numbers but they have confirmed more TouchPads are on the way and will be sold at the same discounted price. HP spokesperson Bryna Corcoran tweeted on August 23rd, “I don’t have precise ETA on when more are coming in. Just that YES HP Home and Home office store will get some soon.” They suggest that you sign up here for the auto notification via e-mail list found on their website here, but be prepared for a stampede as the servers were up and down Monday due to the immense traffic.

Fire Sale…
Initially the 16GB and 32GB TouchPad tablets sold for $499 & $599 respectively. After limited sales HP cut the price to $399/$499 to try and entice those on the fence buyers. The lowest price I had ever seen on the TouchPad was $384.99 shipped on 8/5, but even then a mere 612 units sold. Finally the major price drop hit on Saturday 8/20 when HP gave the go-ahead and began liquidating inventories with the lowest price ever ($99/$149). Roughly 270,000 units were sold at best buy. Wal-mart, Barnes & Noble, J7R, Office Max, Target & Sam’s Club sold out quickly, and for a conservative guess of a half a million units sold during the fire sale.

Why is it so tempting
The tablet sports a more than capable ARM Snapdragon Dual Core Processor (1.2GHz) making for a quick and responsive feel with minimal load times for most tasks. The 9.7″ (1024 x 768) Capacitive IPS display is stunning and the viewing angles are great. The TouchPad also features a front-facing camera for video chat such as Skype and USB 3.0. The tablet also one-ups the iPad supporting flash capabilities. After the recent price reduction the device is being sold at a loss. The 16GB TouchPad is selling for less than twice what it costs to make one.

Gift for Kids
If you do not want to worry about your child playing with your expensive smartphone or $600 iPad, this $99 TouchPad is a no-brainier. With the display not on full brightness you should be able to watch 3 or 4 movies in a row before needing to recharge.

Third Party Apps
WebOS is intuitive and fun to use out of the box, but one of the biggest complaints I saw being not enough apps and lack of support by HP. However with the recent resurgence of interest I am looking on the bright side. There is currently a $2,100 and raising, tiered bounty for the first developer(s) to port Android 2.x to the TouchPad. Already available are home-brew patches, games, and applications via the PreWare app.

Update (8/26):
The bad news, there will be no HP TouchPads in-stock at HP or HP Small Business today or over the weekend. The good news however is there is still hope of getting one come next week. In the mean time you and your f5 key can take a break for a few days. HP’s spokesperson Bryna Corcoran recently tweeted, “Confirmed: Breaking news is that we’re not getting any news on when – today and through weekend.”

FatWallet Tip: HP offers up to 5% cash back when you shop through FatWallet. Already have a HP TouchPad? Check out the accessories on the HP Page!

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About Penny Moneybags

Penny Moneybags is the coolest hippest, savviest shopper you'll ever meet. She always has the inside scoop on coupons, sales and deals. Follow her for shopping tips to help you save time and money on everything you buy!